Shower head with air introduction

ABSTRACT

A shower head with a housing and a jet outlet surface can be achieved with an example embodiment of the invention. An adjuster device is provided on one side, for adjusting the supply of water to individual or all regions, into which the jet outlet surface is divided. The above can be a central small region and the region surrounding the above. Furthermore, an air supply device is provided for aerating the water jets. The air supply device is simultaneously operated with the switching between the regions.

The invention relates to a shower head having a housing and a surfacewhere jets exit the housing. The surface has numerous exit apertures.Various forms of shower heads of that type have long been known andinherently have numerous modes of operation.

The problem addressed by the invention is creating a shower head of theaforementioned type having modes of operation that are unknown under thestate of the art and, in particular, have beneficial uses.

That problem is solved by a shower head having those features statedunder claim 1. Beneficial embodiments of the invention are covered bythe other claims, and shall be discussed in detail below. The wordingsof the claims and the abstract are herewith made part of the content ofthis description by way of expressed reference thereto.

The shower head contains a housing whose end is closed off by a diskfrom which jets exit. This disk contains numerous apertures from whichjets exit that may be specially configured by means of certainarrangements. In particular, the shower head contains a large, flathousing. The air intake may, for example, be configured such that itintroduces air into the housing through the disk from which jets exit,for example, directly at the center of the, preferably planar, disk fromwhich jets exit.

In order to arrive at a particularly judicious distribution of theaerated water within the housing, and thus a particularly judiciousdistribution of the aerated jets outside the housing, according to theinvention, under an elaboration thereon, the shower head may containmeans for forming several, discrete jets inside the housing. Thesediscrete water jets will thus be formed within the housing, rather thanafter they exit the housing, which will allow undertaking certainprocedures related to the water jets while they are still within thehousing.

In elaborating on the invention, the aerator may be configured such thatit aerates water upstream from the means for forming jets, in whichcase, the means for forming jets will serve to form, from an aeratedjet, discrete, aerated jets that may then be distributed within theshower head's housing, for example, over a surface having a diameterthat is larger, for example, roughly ten to twenty times larger, thanthat of the water inlet.

However, the means for forming jets and/or the aerator may also be, andit is preferred by the invention that it/they be, configured such thatdiscrete jets that have previously been formed will be jointly and/orseverally aerated, which will allow avoiding need for having to allowfor their later aeration when forming the water jets.

In further elaborating on the invention, the shower head may have guidesin order to guide the aerated water jets to the exit apertures over thefull extent of the jet disk, preferably in a uniform manner, or in anonuniform manner, if desired.

The guides may be arranged at various locations on, or within, theshower head, for example, in the distribution chamber, which isconfigured immediately upstream from the jet disk. However, the guidesmay also be arranged where the formed jets are aerated, or where theaerated jets are formed.

For example, in elaborating thereon, the guides and/or the aerator maybe configured such that they generate turbulence in the aerated jets,which, if it occurs, will, among other things, represent suitable meansfor extending jets' dwell times within the shower head's housing inorder to therewith obtain longer and/or closer contact with the devicespresent in the shower head's housing.

In elaborating on the invention, the aerator may be configured such thatit generates an air stream that is incident on the water stream at aright angle thereto, where, as has been mentioned, the former may beincident on discrete water jets that have previously been formed.

However, the aerator may also be, and the invention covers the casewhere the aerator is, configured such that it generates discrete airjets or air streams, each of which will then be separately incident onthe water stream.

In particular, it may be provided that every air jet is coordinated to awater jet on which it is incident. A full, or merely partial,segregation of air streams and water streams may be conducted within thehousing, which will allow aerating the discrete water jets to differingdegrees, or aerating them at a different location.

In order to generate the discrete water jets, the means for forming jetsmay, for example, have a perforated disk that is arranged at a rightangle to the water stream. Every perforation will then generate a waterjet. As has been mentioned, these water jets may be either totally, ormerely partially, isolated from one another in order that various,discrete, narrow streams will form within a shared, common volume ofwater.

The aerator may have a central collar, or hub, through whose interiorambient air enters the interior of the housing. The base of the hub may,for example, have a smooth surface that, together with an associatedmating surface, forms a flat, annular chamber that directs the airstream at the water. However, the base of the hub may be, and theinvention covers the case where the base of the hub is, also configuredsuch that it has radial air guides, for example, grooves, that lead to asegregation of the air stream.

The ends of the radial air guides, for example, the grooves or channels,are aligned on the apertures in the perforated disk. That alignment may,for example, be such that the centerlines of the grooves are aligned onthe centers of the apertures. However, it will also be feasible toprovide a tangential alignment such that the centerlines of the groovesrange from off-center with respect to, to tangential to, the aperturesin the perforated disk.

The air guides may be precisely radial or slightly inclined.

The hub, on whose inner end air flows essentially radially along a planeorthogonal to its longitudinal axis, may also contain guides for theaerated jets on its lateral surface, which is cylindrical. These guidesmight be the grooves that are aligned on the apertures in the perforateddisk. These guides serve to keep the aerated jets discrete within theshower head's housing, that is, to delay, or hinder, theirrecombination.

The grooves may primarily follow the axial direction, but may also beslightly inclined, for example, resemble an extra-coarse thread.

A deflection by a corresponding, conical surface formed on the lateralsurface of the hub may take place at the base of the hub, that is, atthat location where the water stream is to be diverted radially outward,and into the interior of the shower head's housing. That deflection mayalso take place gradually by, for example, providing that the hub'slateral surface blends into a curved surface terminating in a radialplane. That curved surface, gradual transition, or deflection may alsobe present, or take place, regardless of whether axial water guides arepresent.

The deflectors may, if the application in mind demands, also havediscrete channels that, if present, may be either straight andorthogonal to the hub's longitudinal axis, straight and inclined, orcurved.

Guides that may be aligned on the deflectors' deflection axes may bearranged within the shower head's housing, that is, upstream from thejet disk, which is intended to yield an even distribution of the aeratedwater jets over the entire surface of the jet disk. The guides may besituated on, for example, the housing's inner wall or on an insert thatis present within the housing.

In elaborating thereon, the shower head may, in addition to a housing, asurface from which jets exit that has exit apertures, and a segregationinto at least two zones, have a selector. That selector is capable ofswitching the water intake between a first zone and a second zone. Awater inlet that channels water into the shower head is also provided.An air intake is provided for the purpose of aerating water jets exitingthe shower head. The air intake aerates water that enters the showerhead, and does so at a location between the water inlet and the surfacefrom which jets exit. The air intake is activatable and deactivatable,i.e., may be switched between its activated state and deactivated state.According to the invention, the selector and the air intake areintercoupled such that the air intake will be switched from theactivated state to the deactivated state, or from the deactivated stateto the activated state, when the selector is actuated. The air intakewill thus change its activation state whenever it is switched from thefirst zone to the second zone. In other words, according to theinvention, a dual function applies whenever the selector is actuated,which also makes it clear that the selector might operate the other wayaround, i.e., switch from one zone to the other whenever operation ofthe air intake is activated or deactivated.

That approach yields a beneficial dual function. Actuating a singlecontrol triggers two operations. In particular, operation of the airintake may be activated or deactivated by choosing to combine the zonesor making its operation contingent upon combining them.

In elaborating on the invention, the first zone might be configured inthe form of a section of the surface from which jets exit, where theformer might, for example, be a central section thereof. In thisconjunction, the second zone might be the entire surface from which jetsexit. For example, operation of the air intake might be activatedwhenever the selector is set to the second zone or to the entire surfacefrom which jets exit, which has the advantage that the introduction ofair, or the aeration of the water jets, will allow creating streams ofwater exiting the shower head that appear voluminous, which, in view ofthe greater number of exit apertures, will be of benefit if a large areais involved.

The selector is beneficially manually actuatable. Either a knob, aslide, or similar may be depressed in order to actuate it. It will bebeneficial if an entire and, in particular, large housing component, maybe moved relative to another housing component or the remainder of thehousing.

Both zones, or all zones, may be connected to the water inlet via adistribution chamber that supplies them with water. The distributionchamber may beneficially cover the full areas of all zones or the fullarea of the upstream side of the surface from which jets exit, whichwill guarantee a good supply of water to all zones and all exitapertures on the surface from which jets exit. The selector may beconfigured such that it is arranged, and acts, in the distributionchamber. When set to the first zone, it might restrict the coverage ofthe distribution chamber to that area corresponding to the first zone.When set to another zone, or the second zone, the restriction of thecoverage of the distribution chamber might be adjusted to suit the areaof the other zone involved. When set to provide coverage of the entiresurface from which jets exit, the restriction of the distributionchamber's coverage might be eliminated in order that it will cover thefull extent of the surface from which jets exit.

The selector may have a cap that may particularly preferentially beconfigured such that it will be capable of restricting the coverage ofthe distribution chamber. Restricting the coverage of the distributionchamber may be readily accomplished by providing that the cap may abutagainst the upstream side of the surface from which jets exit. Thatsystem is preferably sealed. Restriction of the distribution chamber'scoverage is preferably accomplished by employing a wall as cap. The areaon that wall to be involved should preferably form that part of thedistribution chamber that corresponds to the selected area on thesurface from which jets exit.

In order to improve the sealing of the system, a formed seal may beprovided. For example, a lip seal will be suitable for that purpose. Itmay abut against a seat that faces upstream and merges into therestricted distribution chamber, in which case, rising water pressurewill contribute to its sealing action.

One opportunity for fabricating a surface from which jets exit ischoosing an elastic material, for example, an elastomer, which might bea rubbery elastomer, for that purpose. A wall or a cap might beemplaceable on the upstream side of such a jet disk in order to effect asealing action. An aforementioned, protruding seal may beneficially beformed onto the upstream side of the jet disk, which will obviate needfor employing a separate seal.

Water is beneficially inducted into the shower head centrally, in anyevent, in a vicinity that is situated a short distance upstream from thedistribution chamber, which will allow achieving the most uniformdistribution over the surface from which jets exit. A central aeratorthat inducts air into the shower head, or directs air onto the surfacefrom which jets exit, will also be beneficial. Induction of water maybeneficially be from the upstream side of the surface from which jetsexit, or the top of the shower head. An aerator may transit a centralaperture in the surface from which jets exit, i.e., protrude into theshower head's housing from that side thereof from which water exits.

A channel for inducting air that may both transit the surface from whichjets exit and even be joined thereto, or attached in the vicinitythereof, may be provided. The selector may also be connected to thewater inlet, or attached thereto. In the case of one embodiment of theinvention, the surface from which jets exit may be moved relative to thewater inlet in order to switch and activate the shower head, in whichcase, a shutter on the water inlet may then be employed to shut or openthe channel for inducting air and, for example, a wall on the selector,would simultaneously restrict the distribution chamber's coverage.

Although, as has been mentioned, air may be inducted through that sideof the shower head from which water exits, i.e., through the surfacefrom which jets exit, it will be beneficial if air exits the aerationchannel in a direction orthogonal to the water intake or water inlet.Air is inducted under exploitation of the Venturi effect, and aturbulent mixing of air in the water will occur. Air may also bedistributed throughout the inducted water using that approach.

In the case of one embodiment of the invention, the water intake mayhave numerous apertures that may be annularly distributed about acenterline, where the apertures may beneficially be elongated slots inorder to, among other things, accelerate the discrete water jets. Airfrom the air intake may enter immediately upstream of the apertures dueto, for example, the aforementioned Venturi effect, which will allowattaining a thorough mixing of air and water.

Turbulence-generating devices situated upstream, referenced to thedirection of water flow, from the location where air enters may also beprovided. The mixture of water and entrained air will strike thoseturbulence-generating devices, which, for example, might be in the formof multistage cascades, and will become even more turbulent and admixed.Such turbulence-generating devices are beneficially distributed about acenterline of the shower head's housing, or about a channel forinducting air. For example, they might be formed on the outer walls ofthe channel, which will be particularly indicated if the channel forinducting air is tubular, in which case, it might be attached to theexit end of the shower head.

In addition to their turbulence-generation function, theturbulence-generating devices may be configured for providing thatinducted water will be distributed over the full extent of the upstreamside of the surface from which jets exit enclosed within thedistribution chamber, or deflecting and distributing inducted water. Itwill be beneficial if an approximately uniform distribution of theinducted water entering the distribution chamber occurs.

The shower head proposed by the invention may, in particular, also findapplication as a side-mounting shower head. Due to the admixing withair, the water jets acquire a longer range, which, in the case of avertically oriented surface from which jets exit, also has the benefitthat the water jets will strike a standing body situated at a certaindistance from the shower head over an extended area and at the desiredheight. Since air induction occurs through the surface from which jetsexit from that side thereof from which water exits, configuring,arranging, and installing a side-mounting shower head from a cominggeneration of shower heads will be neither complicated nor moredifficult than in the case of known side-mounting shower heads that lackair admixing.

Those and other features of the invention will be evident from theclaims, this description, and the figures, where the respectiveindividual features involved may represent themselves alone or severalsuch in the form of subcombinations thereof implemented in an embodimentof the invention and in other areas, and beneficial and inherentlypatentable versions, for which patent protection is herewith claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

A sample embodiment of the invention is depicted in the figures and willbe described in detail below. The figures depict:

FIG. 1 a sectioned view of a shower head according to the inventionhaving a water exit confined to a first central area and lacking airintroduction, and

FIG. 2 the shower head shown in FIG. 1, equipped with air introductionand switching covering the entire surface from which jets exit.

FIG. 3 A view, corresponding to that of FIG. 1, of another embodiment;

FIG. 4 a sectioned view, corresponding to that of FIG. 3, of anotherembodiment;

FIG. 5 a sectioned view of the jet disk of the embodiment shown in FIG.4, drawn on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 6 a sectioned view of the edge of the housing of the embodimentshown in FIG. 4, drawn on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 7 a sectioned view of the central section of the embodiment shownin FIG. 4, drawn on an enlarged scale;

FIG. 8 a top view of the perforated disk of the embodiment shown in FIG.7;

FIG. 9 a side view of the aeration hub of the embodiment shown in FIGS.3 and 7;

FIG. 10 an axially sectioned view of an aeration hub that has beenmodified relative to that shown in FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 a top view of the aeration hub shown in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 a deconvolution of the side view of the aeration hub shown inFIGS. 10 and 11;

FIG. 13 a view, corresponding to that of FIG. 11, of a modifiedembodiment;

FIG. 14 a deconvolution of the side view of the embodiment shown in FIG.13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE SAMPLE EMBODIMENT

FIGS. 1 and 2 depict a shower head 11 according to the invention. Theshower head 11 consists of a housing shell 12 that rests on a base 13 oris guided onto the latter. The shower head 11 is connected to a waterfitting 14 having a known ball-head configuration by means of a cap nut15. The water fitting 14 resides on, for example, a ceiling.

The housing shell 12 is essentially in the form of a tubular extension17 that extends downward and blends into the broad extension 18. Thebase 13, which also broadens downward, forming an extension 24, issimilarly configured.

Rubber rings 20 are inserted into the upper section of the base 13.Protrusions 22 also extend outward from the latter. The rubber rings 20provide for a sealed joint with the tubular extension 17 of the housingshell 12. The tubular extension 17 also has inclined grooves 19 thatresemble a thread. The protrusions 22 engage those grooves. The housingshell 12 thus glides relative to the base 13 when rotated, as will beclearly evident from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2. Pressing, and thusgliding, of the housing shell 12 relative to the base 13 directly alongthe centerline in order to adjust it might also employ short grooves andprotrusions, instead of such an embodiment resembling a thread.

The extension 24 of the base 13 has a circumferential, annular ridge 25extending downward from its outer rim. The latter's precise shape may beseen in FIG. 2. The annular ridge 25 merges into a narrow profileresembling a “V.” In the position shown in FIG. 1, the latter provides asealing action that will be described in greater detail below.

The shower head 11 also has a front face 27 that is joined to thehousing shell 12 in the vicinity of its outer edge. The front face 27carries the jet disk 29 on its rear face when the latter is inserted.The jet disk 29 is fabricated from an elastomer in a known manner andhas molded-on nozzles for forming the exit apertures 30. From FIG. 1,and particularly from FIG. 2, it may be seen that the rear face 21 ofthe jet disk 29 is essentially planar. The circumferential lip 32 is thesole feature formed on the rear face 31, and may abut against theannular ridge 25, as will be evident from FIG. 1.

A water inlet 33 extends through the water fitting 14 and into theshower head 11. Water exits the ball-head on the water fitting 14through apertures 34 that are distributed around a centerline, andenters the upper section of the distribution chamber 36, which issituated within the tubular extension 17. As is evident from FIG. 1, dueto the sealing abutment of the extension 24 against the mating annularridge 24 on the rear face 31 of the jet disk 29, water can reach onlythose exit apertures 30 that lie within that zone. No other water flowpaths exist. In particular, the outer zone, i.e., Zone B, exclusive ofZone A, is blocked.

If the housing shell 12, together with its extension 18, is translateddownward relative to the base 13, then the extension 24, together withits annular ridge 25, will jolt away from the rear face 31 of the jetdisk 29. The distribution chamber 36 will be open all the way, and willthen include the zone extending from the apertures 34 on the water inlet33 to the full extent of the rear face of the jet disk 29. Water willthen be able to exit through all exit apertures 30 on the jet disk 29.

Furthermore, how, in this case, the cap 42 is slid off the upperaperture in the air channel 38 will be evident from a comparison of FIG.2 to FIG. 1. The air intake 40 will thus be open, from the front face ofthe jet disk 29, or the front face 27 of the shower head 11, into theshower head, or into the distribution chamber 36. As may be seen, airexiting the upper aperture on the air channel 38 is incident on thewater shooting downward through the apertures 34 and into thedistribution chamber 36 at roughly a right angle thereto. Due to theVenturi effect, the entering water will entrain the air. A certainadmixing of water and air will have already simultaneously commenced.

That water-air mixture is incident on a turbulence-generating extension46 that is formed on the lower section of the outer wall of the airchannel 38. As may be seen from the chamfering of theturbulence-generating extension 46, water incident thereon from abovewill be deflected sideward, i.e., into the side-arm of the distributionchamber 36. Turbulence in, or admixing, of the water-air mixture willalso occur. Further, similar extensions, or necks, might be added atthis location. The turbulence-generating extension is preferablyconfigured in the form of a multistage cascade. The envelope of thecascaded stages may match the chamfering.

As may be seen from the figures, the profile of the extension 24 of thebase 13 matches the profile of the extension 18 of the housing shell 12.The step in the extension 18 provides space for the extension 24 toenter the step. It also restricts the coverage of the outer,annular-section of the distribution chamber 36 such that the watersupply to all exit apertures 30 will be approximately equal in theposition shown in FIG. 2, i.e., when water is supplied to the fullextent of the jet disk 29.

As will be evident from FIG. 2, in addition to a more or lessdiscontinuous switching between the first zone A and the second zone B,as well as between aerated and nonaerated, it will, under somecircumstances, also be feasible to configure at least one of thefunctions such that it may be continuously controlled. In particular,the aerator may be employed for that purpose. The shapes of the lowersection of the cap 42 and the associated aperture in the upper sectionof the air channel 38 might be configured such that the motion of thehousing shell 12 relative to the base 13 will yield a continuous openingof the air intake 40 via the air paths 44 over its full travel, wherethat opening may transpire more rapidly than will be the case when thedistribution chamber 36 is opened.

FIG. 3 depicts a shower head similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1and 2, except that it lacks a selector. An insertable plate 50 that hasbores 51 corresponding to the exit apertures 30 on the jet disk 29 isarranged upstream from the jet disk 29. The insertable plate isfabricated from a harder plastic than that employed in fabricating thejet disk 29. Among other things, the former's purpose is retaining theelastomer jet disk 29 on the front face 27 thereof and on the base 52 ofthe housing, which is intended to prevent the inclination angles ofindividual nozzles from changing during installation, or duringoperation.

The insertable plate 50 has discrete ribs 53 on its upstream side thatsubdivide the space between the jet disk and the housing's rear wall 52.That subdivision is intended to guide and direct the individual, aeratedjets within the housing.

Further details, in particular, details related to the supply of air andwater, shall be discussed below.

FIG. 4 depicts another embodiment of a shower head that, in this case,is particularly simply configured. The shower head's housing contains arear wall 52 and a very simple jet disk 54, between which a rather flat,disk-shaped, distribution chamber 55 is formed. Sealing thereof takesplace in the vicinity of its edge, and employs a seal present in agroove 56 on its rear wall 52 that abuts against the upstream side 56 ofthe jet disk 54 (cf. FIG. 6). In this case, the entire jet disk 54 isfabricated from a relatively hard plastic in order that the inclinationsand shapes of the apertures 57, from which jets exit, will remainconstant. As may be seen from FIG. 5, which depicts a view of thehousing shown in FIG. 4, drawn on an enlarged scale, the apertures 57,from which jets exit, are inclined and conical.

Since the fitting connecting the housing of the shower head shown inFIGS. 3 and 4 to the water line corresponds to that shown in FIG. 1,these details need no further explanation. In the case of the embodimentshown in FIGS. 3 and 4, water entering through the inlet will now beincident on a perforated disk 60 orthogonal to the direction of waterflow (cf. the enlarged-scale depiction appearing in FIG. 7). Theperforated disk 60 is circular and planar, and has a circumferentialridge 61 extending downstream. The diameter of the orifice 62 in theinlet is much smaller than that of the perforated disk 60. The circularapertures 63 arranged on the perforated disk 60 are arranged around itscircumference. Water thus must first be deflected outward, away from theaperture 62, if it is to reach the apertures 63.

The apertures 63 in the perforated disk 60 segregate incoming water intodiscrete water jets. The aeration hub 64, which is present in both theembodiment shown in FIG. 3 and the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, isarranged immediately downstream from the central section of theperforated disk 60. FIG. 7 depicts the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, drawnon an enlarged scale. The upstream end of the aeration hub 64 is in theform of a planar terminal surface 65 situated a short distance on one orthe other side of the perforated disk 60. Air inducted through thecentral aperture 40 in the aeration hub 64 is directed at the waterjets, which have previously been segregated, in the form of a verynarrow, flat stream. A Venturi effect that inducts the air stream at theintersections thereof arises due to the high flow rates of the waterjets downstream from the apertures 63.

The aerated jets then travel along the cylindrical lateral surface 66 ofthe aeration hub 64 to the base 67 of the hub, where the lateral surfacethereof expands, forming a truncated cone having a half angle of, forexample, about 45°. That conical extension 67 abuts against theinsertable plate 50, on which water then flows radially outward along aplane. The angle of the deflecting surface 68 might fall within therange 10°-80°. A gradually curved transition is also feasible. Thatdeflecting device deflects the aerated water jets radially outward, andinto the distribution chamber arranged upstream from the jet disk.

FIG. 8 depicts a highly schematized top view of the perforated disk 60,which has eight apertures 63. In the case of an actual embodiment, thenumber of apertures 63 will be greater than that in order to generatethe greatest possible number of water jets. All of the apertures 63 lieon a circle near the perimeter of the perforated disk 60.

FIG. 9 depicts a side view of the aeration hub 64 shown in FIG. 7. It isclearly evident that the deflecting surface 68 extends all around theperimeter thereof. In the case of the embodiment depicted there, thelateral surface 66 thereof is smooth, as is its terminal surface 65.

FIGS. 10-12 depict an embodiment of an aeration hub 164 that is amodification of the aeration hub 64. Several radial channels 70 thatextend from the interior 40 of the hub 164 to its lateral surface areconfigured on its terminal surface 165. Axial channels 71 that areformed by grooves are present on its lateral surface, at the samelocations as the radial channels 70. Every radial channel 70 merges intoan axial channel 71. Further channels 72 that extend the other channels70, 71, and whose depth decreases toward the bottom end of thedeflecting surface 68 (cf. FIG. 10), are formed on the deflectingsurface 68. This approach will provide that discrete air jets that willthen be incident on the water jets formed by the apertures 63 at thelocations where they are formed will originate on the terminal surface165 of the aeration hub 164.

In the top view of FIG. 11, the channels 72 in the deflecting surface 68are still straight and radially oriented. However, FIGS. 13 and 14depict the corresponding views in the case of another aeration hub,where the channels 172 in the deflecting surface 168 are arched, orcurved, which will give the aerated jets an inclination that they willretain upon exiting the aeration hub. That approach will generateturbulence in the aerated jets within the distribution chamber of theshower head's housing.

In the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, which depicts adeconvolution of a side view of an aerating hub, the channels 171 areinclined with respect to its longitudinal axis and resemble anextra-coarse thread, rather than straight and parallel to itslongitudinal axis, as in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 12,which will initiate generation of vortices in the aerated jets earlier.

The aeration jet 164 shown in FIG. 10 may, for example, be arranged suchthat the lands between the channels 70 that lie in the plane of itsterminal surface 165 will contact the underside of the perforated disk60, which will then result in totally isolated air jets being generated.However, a certain spacing might also remain in order that a preferredflow field may be generated at the locations of the channels 70.

What has been said about the guides, based on the aeration hubs, mayalso be carried forward into the distribution chamber. For example, theapertures from which jets exit might be arranged in the form of straightextensions of projections of the channels 72, 172. However, not allchannels 72/172 will need to have the same curvature or the samedirection. It may be provided that aerated water jets that are to bedeflected further outward, into the distribution chamber, exit the baseof the aeration hub along straight paths, while those to be deflected toapertures from which jets exit that are closer in are given moreturbulence.

Due to the simplified representations employed, the embodiments shown inFIGS. 3-14 exhibit no switching device for switching between variouszones of the surface from which jets exit. They also exhibit no devicefor switching the aerator on and off. Nevertheless, the measures forgenerating and maintaining discrete, aerated jets involved are, ofcourse, also possible, and sensible, in the case of shower heads thathave such switching devices. The invention expressly proposes preciselythat.

1. A shower head having a housing and a water inlet for admitting waterto the housing, a jet disk for exit of jets, wherein the jet disk has afront face having numerous apertures from which the jets exit from theshower head, an aerator for aerating water flowing through the showerhead, wherein the aerator is configured such that the aerator generatesdiscrete aeration jets, wherein the aerator comprises a hub locatedcentrally in the jet disk, the hub having an axial passage through whichair intake takes place from the front face of the jet disk, at least oneradial air conduit being provided in a vicinity of an end of the hubthat is located upstream of the jet disk and faces an interior of thehousing, and aerated water flowing along a lateral outside surface on anexterior of the hub, and, wherein said exterior of the hub hasessentially axially arrayed guides and a deflector arranged on a base ofthe hub, a surface of the deflector expanding along a water flowdirection, the deflector forming a truncated cone guiding the discreteaerated jets outwardly from the hub toward the apertures from which thejets exit the jet disk.
 2. A shower head according to claim 1 having astructure for forming several said water jets.
 3. A shower headaccording to claim 2, having guides for guiding aerated water jets tothe apertures from which jets exit, over the entire jet disk.
 4. Ashower head according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the guides andthe aerator is configured to generate turbulence in the aerated jets. 5.A shower head according to claim 3, further comprising guides on atleast one of a rear face of the jet disk and a front face of a rear wallof a distribution chamber of the housing of the shower head.
 6. A showerhead according to claim 2, wherein the structure for forming jetscomprises a perforated disk.
 7. A shower head according to claim 1,wherein at least one of a means for forming jets and the aerator isconfigured such that individual water jets are aerated at least one ofjointly and severally.
 8. A shower head according to claim 1, whereinthe discrete aerated jets are each coordinated to a water jet.
 9. Ashower head according to claim 1, wherein the guides comprise channelson the exterior of the hub of the aerator and the channels are inclined.10. A shower head according to claim 1, wherein the aerator isselectively activatable and deactivatable.
 11. A shower head accordingto claim 1, wherein a surface from which the jets exit has at least twozones and further comprising a selector for switching between conductingwater to the first zone and conducting water to the second zone, whereinthe selector and one or both of the aerator and an air intake, areintercoupled such that the air intake is switchable for changing betweenan activated state and a deactivated state or to change activationstates, when the selector is actuated.
 12. A shower head according toclaim 11, wherein the first zone is part of the surface from which thejets exit and the second zone covers the entire surface from which thejets exit, including the first zone, and wherein the first zone iscentrally arranged on the surface from which the jets exit.
 13. A showerhead according to claim 11, wherein operation of the air intake isactivated whenever the selector is set to the second zone.
 14. A showerhead according to claim 11, wherein the selector is manually actuatable,by moving a component of the housing bearing the surface from which thejets exit, relative to a component bearing the water inlet.
 15. A showerhead according to claim 11, wherein the zones are connected to one of awater intake and water inlet, via a distribution chamber, where theselector restricts the distribution chamber's coverage to the first zonewhen set to the first zone, and that restriction of the coverage of thedistribution chamber is eliminated when the selector is set to thesecond zone.
 16. A shower head according to claim 11, wherein theselector has a cap that may be emplaced on a rear face of the surfacefrom which the jets exit and is arranged for switching, and restrictingthe coverage of, the distribution chamber, wherein a structure isarranged for sealing against a rear face of a wall on the selector. 17.A shower head according to claim 16, wherein a seal abutting against aseat facing upstream, referenced to a direction of water flow, isprovided for sealing.
 18. A shower head according to claim 11, whereinthe surface from which jets exit is formed from a jet disk fabricatedfrom an elastic material and forms a seal on its rear face.
 19. A showerhead according to claim 11, wherein a water intake on the shower head iscentered thereon, as is an air intake, and the air intake passes througha central aperture in the surface from which jets exit.
 20. A showerhead according to claim 19 having an air intake that is connected to thesurface from which jets exit via a channel, where the selector isconnected to the water inlet, the surface from which jets exit ismovable with respect to the water inlet for selection and activationpurposes, and thereby causes a shutter on the water inlet to open orshut the channel.
 21. A shower head according to claim 20, wherein airfrom the channel enters normal to longitudinal axes of the water intakeand water inlet.
 22. A shower head according to claim 19, wherein thechannel of the air intake is tubular, attached to the front face of theshower head, and transits a center of the distribution chamber andfurther comprising turbulence-generating devices formed on the channel'souter walls.
 23. A shower head according to claim 11, wherein the waterintake has numerous annular apertures distributed about a centerline andair from the air intake enters immediately downstream from saidapertures.
 24. A shower head according to claim 11 further comprisingturbulence-generating devices downstream from the air inlet.
 25. Ashower head according to claim 24, wherein the turbulence-generatingdevices are configured for deflecting and distributing incoming water tozones on the surface from which jets exit.
 26. A shower head accordingto claim 1, wherein the shower head is configured for side-mounting. 27.A shower head according to claim 1, wherein the guides comprise channelson the exterior of the hub of the aerator and the channels are angularlyoffset from a radial direction.
 28. A shower head according to claim 1,wherein the guides comprise channels on the exterior of the hub of theaerator and the channels are curved in a plane of the jet disk.